Responding to the Needs of the Whole Child: A Case Study of a High-Performing Elementary School for Immigrant Children

Abstract

Changes in the demography of the nation's public schools are occurring at a dramatic pace. In states such as California, Texas, and Florida, new immigrants comprise more than a third of the student population. In major cities such as New York, Miami, and Los Angeles, they comprise more than 40% of the student population. Similar changes are occurring in small towns and rural areas throughout the country. This article examines (a) how Washington Elementary, a suburban school, has responded to these dramatic demographic changes; and (b) why this particular school has produced dramatic academic success among immigrant students when so many other suburban schools have not. This article focuses on understanding the school's practices and their implications for literacy achievement. It focuses on whether the interaction between organizational and programmatic practices and the implementation of these reform practices produced a transformative effect upon the school and student learning.Children of recent immigrants constitute the fastest growing population among school-age children in the United States, and all indictors suggest that their numbers will continue to grow (National Center for Education Statistics, 2007). The imbalance in wealth between the nations of North and South America, the persistent demand of the U.S. economy for cheap labor, and

Studying School Improvement Teams to Analyze Multiple Stakeholder Engagement in Decision-Making in Public Education

“…The first, the Comer Process, developed by James Comer (Comer, 2009;Cook, Habib, Phillips, Settersten, Shagle & Degirmencioglu, 1999;Cook, Murphy & Hunt, 2000;Henderson & Mapp, 2002, Malloy & Rayle, 2000, is a model shown to have positive effects on school climate and overall student academic achievement. The second, the National Partnership Schools model developed by Joyce Epstein (Epstein 2005, Galindo & Sheldon 2011Gordon & Seashore 2009;Heck & Hallinger 2009;Henderson & Mapp, 2002;Martin, Fergus & Noguero 2010;Sanders, 1996;Sheldon 2003;Sheldon & Epstein 2002, 2005Sanders, 2006;Sitton Hays, 2011), offers another model for positively impacting student academic achievement as well as improving school safety.…”

“…• There is a clear need for formality and structure (Martin, Fergus, & Noguero 2010;Sanders 2005;Sanders, 2006).…”

“…• It takes at least three to four years for meaningful change to take place (Martin, Fergus, & Noguero, 2010, Sanders, Sheldon, & Epstein, J. 2005).…”

“…• Student-centered focus on improvements in both school climate and academic achievement is essential (Cook, Habib, Phillips, Settersten, Shagle & Degirmencioglu, 1999;Martin, Fergus & Noguero 2010;Sanders, 2006;Sitton Hays, 2011) Models for Successful School, Parent and Community Partners…”

“…• Strong leadership is required, in particular, school principals who value and prioritize parent, school, and community partnerships and who possess skill in developing these relationships (Epstein, Galindo & Sheldon 2011;Gordon & Seashore 2009;Heck and Hallinger 2009;Martin, Fergus & Noguero 2010;Sanders, 2006;Sitton Hays, 2011).…”